Managing Stress and Social Ties for Health Aging

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Status

Completed

Conditions

Stress

Treatments

Behavioral: Tai Chi Chih

Behavioral: Stress Education Control

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT01204021

AG028748-01-SST

Details and patient eligibility

About

There has been a dramatic rise from 46% to 59% in the percentage of households with only 1-2 people from 1970 to 2000. A 40% increase in the number of people living alone is projected for 2010. Social isolation is consistently one of the strongest predictors mortality in older adults. Recent research is demonstrating that stress plays an important role linking social isolation with poor health. Socially isolated older adults are more likely to feel chronically stressed and overwhelmed with everyday life demands. Furthermore, isolated adults respond to stress differently, both psychologically and physiologically. Socially isolated and lonely older adults show long-term elevations in "inflammatory cytokines", which are signaling molecules related by immune cells. These Inflammatory cytokines play a role in a number of age-related diseases including cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes and arthritis. Novel, readily useable interventions aimed at decreasing isolation and "re-calibrating" stress responses might be helpful to older adults.

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese form of calisthenics that promotes relaxation and decreases feelings of stress and as such, it may be a useful intervention for socially isolated, stressed older adults. However, its effects on stress responses are unknown. Tai Chi Chih (TCC) is a simplified, manualized, readily exportable form of Tai Chi particularly well-suited for older adults. This proposed study will test the effects of a TCC intervention with socially isolated older adults on loneliness, stress and health outcomes, including inflammatory assessment. Tai Chi-naïve participants who perceive themselves as socially isolated, as measured by the UCLA Loneliness Scale will be randomized to receive either Tai Chi or education control for a 12-week period. Subjects will undergo pre- and post-intervention stress assessment, including exposure to a psychological stress task, to assess whether Tai Chi affects how subjects physiologically and psychologically respond to stress.

Enrollment

26 patients

Sex

All

Ages

60+ years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Adults > 60 years old
Have not done Tai Chi before
Live in Los Angeles area
Socially isolated
Women must be post menopausal

Exclusion criteria

Any physical debility that limits Tai Chi performance;
Cognitive impairment (< 23 on the Mini-Mental State Exam);
Current or recent history of smoking
Immune suppression resulting from neoplastic disease
Corticosteroid use or other therapy
Significant underlying illness that would interfere or prevent completion of the study
Acute conditions (e.g. viral infection w/in 2 weeks) that might confound interpretation of inflammatory data
Current or recent (within 1 month) use of illicit drugs.